Are you an iDiot?

Orwell vs. Huxley – or is it both of them?

Food for thought for the weekend…

We recently reviewed Neil Postman’s brilliant book Amusing Ourselves to Death. Where he opined that while George Orwell(in “Nineteen Eighty-Four”) and Aldous Huxley(in “Brave New World”) had pseudo-parallel ideologies when it came to unsustainable societies – he concluded that Huxley’s “amusement” theory was more spot on with what is happening. In other words, why do the work of “forceably” controlling the populace, when you can employ them to do it voluntarily.

However, when seeing it “visually,” as cartoonist Stuart McMillen illustrates here (in a depiction created five years ago), a sensible person will be led to believe that it’s BOTH.

My opinion is that you try to “amuse and distract” as many as you can (say 90%+) and for those who are not constrained by mental weakness – you use the Orwell method of “force.” Can you find anything that contradicts that theory?

Anyone that strictly leans to one side or another might be mistaken. Because it appears that both tactics are in action today!

View the photo gallery below (in order) to compare!

Great iDiot animated video makes you think {or it should}

12/13/2013 Update:

I thought this great animated short entitled “iDiots” would make many people think. But after watching it – I realized it would only make sense to those who already got it – and not have a chance in hell to those who haven’t.

So it might be a moot point? Are you an iDiot as well?

What to read to open your eyes?

If you just recently “escaped” from the amusement park most people call life – here some reading I strongly suggest:

Amusing Ourselves to Death is very much along the lines of Brave New World, with a focus more on Television (which we gave up years ago). Author Neil Postman said this in the forward of the book: “In 1984, people would be controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us (and it’s quite possible he was right).” Although the book is pushing three decades old – it still remains true today. Just replace TV with smart phones and social networking.

Maybe you’re missing the point? It’s how most everyone has become reliant on the technology where they become useless without it. I also read that book The Shallows and can see how people use the internet as their crutch and are retaining much less knowledge within themselves. I think it is important to critique ourselves as humanity to prevent worse consequences. When you get angry in defense, that could be a bad sign.[quote comment=”222193″]We get it…you don’t watch television or eat carbs. You’re very hip.[/quote]